Flipcart, the e-commerce platform that competes with Amazon in India, has launched its metaverse shopping experience. The metaverse is a 3D space where users enter with their digital avatars and carry out various activities. Flipcart’s service is called Flipverse, and can be accessed using its mobile app.

“Our mission with FireDrops is to bring the next wave of users to the world of Web3. To do this, we must break down the barriers to the technology that keep people out and reinforce the value that Web3 can offer in more accessible and less cryptic ways,” says the introduction to the Flipverse.

Here is how to check out Flipverse in a step-by-step manner:

Download the Flipcart app by visiting the following site using a browser: https://firedrops.flipkart.com/flipverse.html

Click on the FireDrops logo that appears:

The user will have to complete a KYC since this is a blockchain based Web3 app which will transfer a free NFT called The Strand. The KYC can be completed using one’s Aadhar and PAN card number, following which a Digilocker screen will complete the verification with an OTP. The user will then need to click a selfie as the last part of the process. The app will then automatically proceed to the next step.

Claim The Strand, an NFT passport to explore the Flipverse. The user will receive The Strand as a non-transferable digital asset.

Claim the Super Coins – these are part of the Flipcart loyalty program. The user can then proceed to their Vault where these are stored.

Check the account on Polygon explorer. Clicking on a link takes the user to the Polygon explorer, where they can see the statistics for their NFT passport.

Describing the platform, the apps states: “Flipverse is a virtual world where you do not exist as yourself – but as a digital twin. You can claim a Digital Collectible – Strand – your Culture Passport, create your own avatar, enter brand contests, and avail exclusive discounts on your favourite brands.”

Flipverse has been created for brands to “display products and provide offers and collectibles to customers across categories such as sports apparel, wearable electronics, fashion, home appliances and cosmetics.”

The platform is built using partners who provide various functionalities seen. Digital Asset Custody by Fireblocks, which offers services in the digital asset businesses, GuardianLink, an NFT ecosystem firm, and IDfy, which offers KYC services used by banks. The Polygon blockchain is the blockchain backbone of Flipverse. eDAO is the NFT offering platform.

Describing the motivation to build the metaverse shopping platform, the app states: “The imbalance of power on the Internet had been stark. In competing for relevance, market control, and financial returns, the need to create true value for users had taken a backseat. But then, open-source decentralized technologies like blockchain came along, rethought the architecture of systems, and prioritized individual sovereignty over centralized control. The world of Web3 started opening new coordinates of open and shared value that attracted builders, creators, and the milieu.”

Navigation through Flipverse is done with joystick controls that are visible on the screen. The avatar, created using Strand NFT and the digital incubator that lets the user create a personalized avatar, can be moved around using joystick controls placed on the screen or by tapping on the screen for direct navigation.

The Flipverse is currently not populated with products. In a functional mode, users will see 3D products kept on tables with big screens. Tapping on a product reveals product details, with exclusive offers available on select products.

Flipverse is not just a shopping arena, as it uses eDao, a community builder for gaming, art and more, using an NFT as a single pass to enter the space and buy digital products. The official website of eDao describes it as a place that can “…connect artists and fans through storytelling, experiences, and community building. All with a single pass. A nifty backpack in which you put NFT goodies from your adventures in art, music, gaming, and entertainment in the multiverse.”